Looking for local laser engraver

[terry miller]

I was at a local pen shop and she told me that she could only get metal pens engraved. I know that acrylic and wood pens can be done but she says no one will touch them. Does anyone know of someone in the Virginia Beach area who can do these types of pens at a reasonable price. Any information appreciated.

[Vicky Orsini]

Are you wanting to purchase pens from the engraver, or do you want to have your own pens engraved?

[Paul Proffitt]

I'm sure you will get several replies to this. I'm in Suwanee, GA so not so close, but if you can't find another source I would be happy to engrave wood or acrylic pens for you. I do it frequently for members of our local woodworking group. As expected pricing depends on quantity, type, what will be engraved, fill or no fill, etc. assuming you're wanting to engrave pens you supply. If you want to purchase wood and/or acrylic pens I could help with that as well through some local sources. Currently I don't turn pens, but I may start if I have a need. Pricing to engrave a pen can range from $10 to $15 per pen down to $2 to $3 per pen depending on volume and other choices. There may be setup fees depending on your artwork.

Most wood and acrylic pens can be laser engraved. Lighter color smooth woods provide the best contrast. Olive wood is one of the best I've worked with. Darker woods may leave little contrast and may need to be filled. Slim pens and burled wood pens are of most concern because you can laser through the wood or there may be a void that causes small pieces to be lost during engraving. Acrylic pens often need to be filled because the laser does not darken the acrylic so the engraving actually turns out a bit lighter than the finished surface. With dark acrylics this can provide some contrast, but it may or may not be what you're looking for.

In my experience both wood and acrylic pens should be completely finished and assembled prior to laser engraving although there can be exceptions. Exceptions typically involve complex placement issues that preclude assembly.

[terry miller]

To provide some more information that I should of provided earlier. This is some information that I am providing for a friend who owns a pen shop. She carries pens from the cheap pens all the way up to 2000-3000 dollar Visconti's. I was in her shop earlier today and heard her tell a customer that only the metal pens could be engraved. I told her that the other types (acrylic, plastic and wood) could also be done. We talked and I told her that she probably just had not found the right place and that I would ask on here to see if anyone was local that would be willing to do the job. I told her that there would probably be set up fees of about 10.00 and that the job would vary in cost depending on the work to be done. Most likely this would all be worked out with the customer purchasing the pen. This would probably just be a referal from her to her customers or she may offer it as a service.

[Mark Fitzmorris]

I am located in Suffolk VA and I make wood pens and engrave them often. If I can be of help drop me a PM.

Mark Fitzmorris